Continuous filter.



A. P. STITZEL.

CONTINUOUS FILTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 8, 1910,

Patnted Jan. 10,1911.

ARTHUR mrrur STITZEL, or LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

' CONTINUOUS FILTER.

Specification of Letters Patent. Patented Jan. 10, 1911.-

Application filed August 8, 1910. Serial No. 576,197.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ARTHUR PHILIP STIT- ZEL, a citizen or the UnitedStates, residing at Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State ofKentucky, have invented a Certain new and useful Improvement inContinuous Filters, of which the follo'wingjs a full, clear, and exactdescription.

The object of this invention is to provide for the removal of filteringmaterial as it becomes wasted and clogged during the progress of thefiltering operation, and to replace it with fresh filtering materialcontinuously or periodically as may be required, so that the filterbecomes, in fact, continuous in its operation.

The invention consists of a suitable vessel containing a filter-bedhaving one or more mediums arranged at its surfaceand adaptto remove thewasted and clogged filtering material contained in said bed, and one ormore conveyors properly arranged to introduce fresh filtering materialto replace the wastage removed as first mentioned, so

'that the apparatus may operated as a continuous filter'.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating the invention, n the severalfiguresof which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is apartly sectional elevation of an apparatus embodying the principle ofthe invention. Fig. 2 1s a cross-section, and Fig. 3 is a top plan view,partly in section.

- -Without thereby limiting the invention to more details ofconstruction and the arramgement, relative and otherwise, ed the parts,I will proceed to describe the invert-- tion as shown, and then willparticularly point out and distinctly claim the part, immovement orcombination which 1? claim as my invention.

The filter may comp-rise an upright rectangul'aa' tank or vessel 1,suitably mounted and adapted to contain in a leak-tight mannor, anysuitable filtering material 2, which is capable of clarifying orotherwise affecting the fluid to be filtered. In the bottom' of the tankis reserved a space 3, for receivingthe filtrate, and this space isseparated from the filtering material by a suitable screen" 4 and has anoutlet 5-for the filtered. material. Arranged transversely. near thebottom oat the tank isa con-veyer or other feeding device 6, here shownas a screw-conveyer, mounted upon a shaft 7 which has a bearing 8 in oneend of the tank and another l bearing 9 in the outer end of alateralextension said shaft may be provided with a driving pulley 11.The screw conveyer'has its grooves of substantially uniform width anddepth from one side of the tank to the other, but within the extension10 the grooves may be of varying width and depth from the inlet end tothe admission side of the tank.

Erected upon the extension 10 is a filter reservoir or chute 12, forsupplying the filtering material, and from which such material is forcedinto the filter-bed by the screw conveyor 6 displacingsaid bed upwardlyand thereby replacing any surface filtering material that is or containswastage. ,The reduction in size of the grooves in the conveyor retardsthe volume of inflow of filtering material, so as to admit the freshfiltering material inquantities proportionate to the quantities removedas wastage.

At the top of the filter-bed is arranged another screw conveyor 13,mounted on the shaft 14, which shaft has a bearin- 15-, of any suitableconstruction, in one en of the tank and a bearing 16 at its outer end inlateral extension 17 on; the opposite side of the tank. The conveyor 13has its rooves of substantially the same width an depth from the inletside of the tank to nearly the discharge end,- a-nd then at thisdischarge end the grooves are made narrower and shallower so as regulatethe ultimate discharge'of wastage.- The discharge is efiected throughthe pipe 18' which may be suitably located at any desired point in thelateral extension 1? and is preferably located at the side of thisextension above the axis of the screw conveyer and separated fromconveyers may be otherwise driven as desired and as the exigencies of tae' work may require.

The fluid to be filtered is. admitted through. the pipe 23 preferablyarrangedat one side of the tank, and just below the axis ofithe upperconveyor. By admitting the fluid to be filtered substantially below thedischarge conveyor which admits of the dission 10 of the tank; andbeyond this 'exten The shafts 'Z and 14 may be connected by a band 20arranged over difierential pul leys 21 and 22 on these shaftsrespectively, or the axis of the discharge conveyor, there isan 1 aircushion produced above the shaft of the charge conveyor doing its workin a very oil: I

the screw conveyor by means of the wall or that as the fluid is filteredby percolation through'the filter bed, the upper portion of the bedbecomes foul or clogged, and it is highly desirable to remove suchwastage as it accumulates; but to do this successfully and at the sametime maintain the filter bed at a proper height and'fresh and clean,there must be some provision for replacing the wastage by freshfiltering material. By the arrangement shown,. as the wastage is removedby the screw conveyer or discharge device 13, fresh filtering materialis introduced from the reservoir 12, through the conveyer 6,-and thismay be done without any interruption in the process of filtration, andthus the fluid to be filtered will be passing through a relatively freshbody of filtering material at all times.

The conveyers may be driven periodically, or continuously, and at thesame or different I speeds.

Any suitable provision may be made for cutting off the supply offiltering material from the'reservoir.

If the top of the area than the bottom, the removal of the wastage maybe facilitated by duplicating the discharge conveyer, as indicated at 24in Figs. 2 and 3, and the shaft 25 of this auxil-' iary dischargeconveyer may be extended outside of the tank to a pointwhere it may bedriven from the shaft 14 of the conveyer 13, as by a belt 27 In thiscase it might be well to reduce the transverse section of the tankadjacent to the lower inlet conveyer by means of the filler pieces 28.

When a pair of screw conveyers is used for discharging the wastage, itis better to have the conveyers of opposite pitch, so that the screwthat is wholly, within the tank may serve to draw back any excesscarried by the primary discharge screw, and in that way the top ofthefilter-bed will be kept practically even and there will be preventedan excess accumulation at the discharge end. Moreover, this arrangementalso provides a continuous movement of the fluid to be filtered from endto end and across the top of the filter bed. I

I have not shown the details of valves, smiling-boxes, and similarmechanical ac cessories that may be needful or advisable, but these willbe supplied in accordance with the necessity of each individualinstallation of filter.

As already sufficiently indicated, the invention is not limited todetails of construction or mere arrangement and number of parts. Whereconvenient or necessary, the conveyers may be in pairs or. other number.

By the term conveyer, I do not mean to limit the invention to screwconveyors or any other particular kind of moving device; but it issnfiicient if the respective conveyors -ter-bed from which the wastageis to be removed, of a forcing medium for forcibly retherefrom isremoved.

bed, means to remove wastage from the top thereof and means to replenishthe filter-bed from the bottom.

3. In 'a continuous filter, the combination with a filter-bed, of abed-replenishing conveyer operating across the bottom of the bed.

4. with a filter-bed, of a conveyer operating across the top of the bedand adapted to remove and discharge the wastage, and a bed replenishingconveyer operating across the bottom of the bed.

5. In a. continuous filter, the combination with a filter-bed, of a pairof screw conveyers operating across the top of the bed and filter-bed isof largeradapted to remove and discharge the wastwith a filter-bed, of aconveyer operating across the top of the bed and adapted torereplenishing conveyer operating across the bottom of the bed, andmeans to connect said screw conveyer-s cooperatively.

8. In a filter, the combination with a tank containing a filter-bed, andmeans for replenishing the filter-bed comprising a filtermg materialreservoir, and a screw conveyer on to which said reservoir dischargesits contents and by which said contents are introduced into the tank andthereby distributed in said tank.

containing a filter-bed, means to remove the wastage from the top ofsaid bed, and means for replenishing the filter-bed comprising afiltering material reservoir, and a screw conveyer on to which saidreservoir discharges its contents and by which said contents aretributed in said tank..

10. In a filter,.the combination with a tank containing a filter-bed, awastage collecting and discharging device located at the top of the bed,and means for replenishing the filter bed comprising a filteringmaterial reservoir, and a screw conveyer on to which l')l0lllSlllll Ithe filter-bed as the wastage In a filter, the coi'nbination of afilter-- In a continuous filter, the combinationmove and discharge thewastage, and a bed- 9. In a filter, the combination with a tankintroduced into the tank and thereby dis-- age, and a bed-replenishinconveyer operatsaid reservoir discharges its contents and by which saidcontents are introduced into the tank and thereby distributed in saidtank.

11. In a filter, the combination with a tank containing a filter'bed, ascrew conveyer at the top of the bed for collecting and discharging thewastage, an inlet for the fluid to be filtered located below the axis ofthe discharge conveyer and at one end thereof, and means forreplenishing the the filter-bed comprising a filtering materialreservoir, and a screw-conveyeron to which said reservoir discharges itscontents and by which said contents are introduced into the tank andthereby distributed in said tank.

12. In a filter, the combination with a tank containing a filter-bed, ascrew con veyer at the top of the bedfor collecting and discharging thewastage, an inlet for the fluid to be filtered located below the axis ofthe discharge conveyer and at one end thereof, and meansforreplenishingthe filter-bed comprising a filtering material reservoir,and a screw conveyer on to which said reservoir discharges its contentsand by which said contents are introduced into the tank and therebydistributed in said tank, and a chambenfor receiving and discharging thefiltered fluid located at the bottom of the filter-bed within the tankand screened from said bed.

13. In a filter, the combination with a tank containing a filter-bed andprovided with a supply and a discharge for the filtering material, ofconveyors for respectively replenishing and discharging the filteringmaterial at the supply and discharge of said tank.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 6th day of AugustA; D. 1910.

ARTHUR PHILIP STITZEL.

\Vitnesses:

MARY HURST, MARGUnIu'rn J. JAMES.

